Bishop Sycamore Story Lives On, Kevin Hart Bringing Documentary To Big Screen

Kevin Hart is bringing one of the wildest sports tales this year — the story of Bishop Sycamore High School’s football team — into a documentary, Deadline reports.

Bishop Sycamore first gained attention when it played a game against IMG Academy on ESPN, and the broadcasters openly wondered on-air if Bishop Sycamore had the kind of players and talent the coaching staff promoted.

Hart and Klutch Sports Group CEO-founder Rich Paul — also LeBron James’ agent and head of UTA Sports — are the first to stake out ground here and secure the rights to the story.

Deadline reports they have secured exclusive interviews with players and coaches both present and past who were part of what is now reportedly considered an online charter school. They are in discussions with high-level creative showrunners and editors and will secure one soon, and they soon take this to market to find a broadcaster.

“As soon as I started following this story, I was immediately drawn to it and knew it was something that myself and my team at HartBeat had to dive into. HBP thrives in the doc-series space,” Hart said. “We understand how to break down stories and capture the most interesting and honest moments in a narrative. We know this con comes with a robust backstory and cannot wait to share it with the world.”

Deadline also reports the story will be developed into a scripted adaptation.

“The story of Bishop Sycamore has quickly become one of the most unique roller coaster plots sports has ever seen,” said Zion Olojede, an editor at Complex, per Deadline. “Our extensive research and interviews about the program have revealed alleged dark secrets and details that have put Complex at the forefront of this coverage and global conversation. I’m excited for us to be able to share and tell the full story in ways that no other company can, and in the incredible company of partners like HartBeat Productions, Klutch Originals, and Haven Entertainment.”

ESPN is blaming Paragon Marketing for booking the game with the network. ESPN released a statement to Awful Announcing:

“We regret that this happened and have discussed it with Paragon (Marketing), which secured the matchup and handles the majority of our high school event scheduling,” ESPN said, per Saturday Down South. “They have ensured us that they will take steps to prevent this kind of situation from happening moving forward.”

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine has requested an investigation into whether Bishop Sycamore is even a school in Ohio.

While we wait for the documentary, Bishop Sycamore’s new head coach, Tyren Jackson, posted this video to his Instagram story saying all the “accusations and allegations against the program … are completely false.”